Alone
by Lylinn
Summary: "My name?" The boy screwed up his face in thought. "Well, I have a lot of names. Most of the townspeople just call me troublemaker, and my mama always just called me brat, but my grandma always called me Alfred. I like that one best, so...I'm Alfred." (Kingdom AU...I guess. Romance will develop. Many apologies for my super-sucky summary. Take my word that it's better inside?)
1. Chapter 1

Shadows danced across Arthur's lap as he sat cross-legged underneath a large, spreading oak. All around him tall grass wavered in the breeze that swept across the hills, a soft whispering caress that comforted him more than anything else. A miniscule smile crept its way onto his lips as his eyes slid slowly shut and he sat. Silently he sat, enjoying the feel of the grass under his fingertips and the wind that danced over his skin and through his golden hair.

"_Alone."_

His voice was nothing more than a murmur when the word rolled from his lips, sweetly sticking and causing his voice to lilt upwards melodically. As his eyes slid open and he reached for his book, Arthur started humming a melody that stemmed from his airy _alone_.

He pulled out a pen and bottle of ink from his bag, carefully opening his book as if not to disturb the other pages. Dipping his pen in the ink, Arthur started writing.

With careful, graceful strokes the page was soon covered with meticulously placed words and phrases, and Arthur sighed happily.

_"In the kingdom of mine, where the sun shines high_

_The golden-haired prince sits on his hill_

_Alone with only trees and wind and sun for company _

_With his ink and paper to keep him _

_The warmth of the sun dancing all around_

_But yet, he is alone."_

Arthur nodded slowly, smiling softly as he whispered the words.

"That was awfully nice," A tiny voice whispered, making Arthur nearly jump out of his skin. He was supposed to be alone, wasn't he? Angrily, he spun to give the owner of the voice a piece of his mind, spying on him, _the prince,_ like that!

His eyes hopped around quickly, scanning the area for the perpetrator. With his face settling into a scowl, Arthur crossed his arms.

"Where are you? Come out, now!"

"But I'm not hiding." The tiny voice said, louder this time than previously.

Arthur's eyes flew down, his gaze resting on a boy. The boy was at least three years younger than himself, with messy wheat-blonde hair (with a defining cowlick that looked as if it could never be tamed) and wide, curious, bright blue eyes. A huge smile painted the boy's features, causing Arthur himself to smile.

"Who are you?" Arthur's voice was softer this time, his emerald eyes sparkling with interest.

"Me?" The boy screwed up his face in thought. "Well, I have a lot of names. Most of the townspeople just call me _troublemaker,_ and my mama always just called me _brat_, but my grandma always called me Alfred. I like that one best, so I'm Alfred."

Arthur nodded slowly, pursing his lips in thought.

"Well, Alfred, do you live with your grandmother?"

Alfred's sparkling blue eyes grew with interest at the question.

"Oh no, no," He shook his head slowly, "My grandma died a few years ago."

"So then you live with your mother?"

Alfred shook his head no.

"My mama doesn't want me." His voice was quiet.

Arthur's brow furrowed in confusion. "Well then, who do you live with?"

"Nobody." Alfred looked away nervously and he frowned slightly. A sudden urge came over Arthur to try and make the little boy's smile return to its proper place.

"How...old are you, Alfred?"

"I just turned eight years a few days ago." Alfred smiled smally, "How old are you?"

"Well, I'm twelve years."

"And what's _your_ name?" Alfred's eyes started to sparkle.

"I'm Arthur."

"Arthur, we should be friends." Alfred's eyes were glittering and he inched closer to Arthur. Arthur smiled.

"Yes, I think...that I would like that very much." Arthur smiled at Alfred and patted his head, causing Alfred to screw his face up in a bit of an aggravated frown.

"Just because I'm younger doesn't mean that you can treat me like I'm not as good as you."

Arthur pulled his hand away, shocked and speechless for a moment. "What? Did I...did I do something wrong?"

Alfred crossed his arms and pouted. "All of the adults and older kids in the town always ruffle my hair and send me on my way like I'm just a stupid kid. But I'm not! I'm smarter than all of them combined, and they know it! They just want to make me feel bad." His blue eyes filled with tears that threatened to spill. "And you just did it too! I thought you wanted to be my friend..."

"I-I do!" Arthur's voice wavered as his eyes widened in panic. "I'm sorry, I didn't know..."

Alfred remained silent.

"I don't have many friends, so I really don't know how to act. Please forgive me, Alfred? Please?"

Alfred tilted his head to the side. "You don't have friends? Why?"

Arthur twisted his hands nervously in his lap. "Well, I'm...the prince of the kingdom. I don't really have friends."

Alfred frowned. "Why?"

"Because I don't have time to, or they get scared away." Arthur frowned slightly, looking at the ground.

Alfred sat thoughtfully for a moment. "I won't get scared away, and I can teach you how to be a good friend, okay Arthur?" Alfred smiled and stood.

Slowly, Arthur nodded. "Yes, okay." He smiled. "I would like that very much."

"Good!" Alfred clapped his hands together before he ran off into the field at the bottom of the hill.

Arthur hopped to his feet. "Alfred?" He called out to the running boy, who didn't stop.

"Alfred!"

The boy kept running.

"Alfred, wait!"

To Arthur's horror, Alfred kept running. Soon, the boy became a dot, which became a speck, until he disappeared from view.

"No," Arthur mumbled, sinking down onto the ground. "He was going to be my friend."

Arthur awoke with a start, clutching his head in his hands to allow his labored breathing to settle. That was the fifth time this month he'd had that dream, each time identical to the last.

"I'm nineteen years now," He mumbled to himself, "I shouldn't be having those dreams anymore."

But they wouldn't stop, at all. And they were fraying his nerves.

He'd never met a boy named Alfred, no matter how much he'd wished he did.

So...why wouldn't the dreams go away?

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**A/N: This concludes chapter one of "Alone". Reviews are love~**


	2. Chapter 2

Arthur yawned, doing his best to stifle the motion with his hand. All week he had been having the same dream, over and over again. He would meet the boy, Alfred, and soon enough his friend would disappear in one way or another. Arthur yawned again, his hand flying up to stifle the reflex. The motion went unnoticed by most of the attendants of the meeting he was currently engaged in. Most of them.

To Arthur's left sat a petite, pale girl, about the age of eighteen or so, who's shock of bright red hair was unmistakable, and who's knowing emerald eyes were trained on Arthur.

"You were up again."

Her voice was an almost inaudible whisper, only meant for the prince's ears. It was also a statement, not a question.

"Isa..."

"Don't lie, Arthur."

The prince paused, examining his options. He could either lie to the girl and say he was overly stressed from all of the incomprehensibly boring meetings he'd been subjected to for the last month, all of which were based solely around his rapidly approaching coronation and inevitable ascension to the throne. It was all just a game of kings and succession if you looked closely enough, but that was besides the point.

His second option was to tell Isa the truth. She was, after all, his half sister. But...she would just laugh at him and say he's just nervous for his coronation. Which albeit was true, but it wasn't the sole reason for his loss of sleep. The thrice-damned dreams were.

"I..." Arthur began weakly, praying for a way out of his current situation.

"Silence, please. We must begin."

Arthur thanked whatever deity was smiling on him as the voice of the council's speaker boomed throughout the room. All of the participants automatically fell into their seats, each with a suddenly serious face.

"Now," the speaker began, "There are a variety of different matters that must be fulfilled before the prince may properly ascend. Some of these include..."

The speaker's voice droned on endlessly as Arthur's eyes fell to the table in front of him. His hand reached for the piece of pencil and paper that lay before him on the table, and began to doodle.

Slowly Arthur felt his grip on the situation before him fade, and the last thing he saw before his eyes slipped shut was the drawing of Alfred he scribbled into the margins of the paper.

Arthur sat, cross-legged, across from Alfred. The boy was older than Arthur had ever seen him in his dreams, and he was frowning slightly.

"Arthur," He began, "I need your help."

"...Alfred? Why are you...old? Why am I older?" Arthur frowned, his conscious thoughts seeping into his dream.

"I'm hardly old, Arthur. I'm fifteen years, almost sixteen. But that's not the point." Alfred's tone was hushed and he was glancing around nervously.

Arthur's eyebrows shot up. "What's wrong?"

"I'm in trouble, Arthur. I need your help." Alfred's eyes were shining with hope.

"Help with what? You aren't making any sense!" Arthur frowned and crossed his arms.

"Please, Arthur, please." Alfred started to waver and fade from Arthur's view. "Promise you'll help me, that's all I'm asking."

"But I don't know what you need!" Arthur's frustration shone as Alfred faded from view. "Fine, I promise!"

The boy faded, finally disappearing.

"Alfred!"

Arthur was alone once more.

"Alfred, Alfred, Alfre-"

"Arthur, wake up!"

Arthur's shoulder was shaken forcefully as a harsh whisper reached his ears. The prince sat up with a start, eyes wild as he glanced around, hoping to find Alfred. He frowned, noticing the empty room that was surrounding him.

"Where's everyone?" He mumbled the words through a particularly large yawn, not bothering to stifle it with his hand and instead rubbing his eyes.

"The meeting's broken for lunch, you dimwit. Why did you fall asleep?"

Isa was sitting next to Arthur with her arms crossed and her face morphed with a frown.

"I was tired, sorry for falling asleep." Arthur grumbled, slumping down in his chair.

"Well, I think the only one who noticed was the speaker so you're safe. But please, _for the love of all things sacred_, stay awake for the second half!" The redhead cracked a tiny smile at Arthur's begrudging frown and patted his shoulder. "Now, shall we go fetch lunch?"

"Yes," Arthur smiled, his dream momentarily forgotten, "That would be great, Isa."

The meeting finished without any more cases of Arthur's fatigue, allowing the council to break relatively quickly with the confidence that their agenda for the day had been met. Isa and Arthur were just leaving the conference hall and walking towards their respective bedchambers when a messenger boy came running up to them, panicked.

"M'lord," The frazzled boy stopped before the duo, locking eyes with Arthur, "Your council be needed, sir. Quickly, in the trial room. It be an emergency, m'lord."

Arthur nodded solemnly and sprinted towards the castle's courtroom, his mind racing. Needing his council? Why?

As Arthur rounded the corner, his blood ran cold. There, surrounded by guards, bobbed a single, stubborn, wheat-blonde cowlick that Arthur knew but all too well. Soon enough the guards cleared to the side, excluding the ones holding the individual in his current, extremely tediously uncomfortable position, leaving Arthur to see who was before him. But he already knew.

Arthur's eyes scanned, from toe to head, the wiry frame that, though it was unfamiliar, he had seen but hours beforehand. Finally emerald eyes met sparkling ocean-blue ones, and a smile spread across the boy's tanned face. The grin Arthur knew too well.

"D'ya think you could help, Arthur?" Alfred's eyes gleamed with humor, "You promised you would, after all."

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**A/N: Isa is just an OC of mine that's in for the sake of the story. She's Arthur's half-sister, which will come into play later, but only really plays a minor role. Reviews are love~**


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